She would have a very comfortable stay. Now she realized why Armaan loved luxury. He had been born into it. Her room had a huge bed with purple satin sheets and Persian rugs on the floor. Sunrise poured in through the windows on the far wall, the heavy curtains pushed aside and tied with silver ribbons. There was a large dresser next to the bed, a polished wooden table in the corner and tall, ornamental vases containing fresh flowers were placed strategically around the room.
Armaan's place in Pavia paled in comparison to this desert wonder. If she had been him, she would never have left a home so wonderful. As she thought about it, she began to put two and two together and realised that the only reason someone like him would stay away from his family was because of his brother, Alex.
After learning of the secrecy surrounding their brotherhood, she was quite sure Alex's true parentage had not been revealed to the rest of Armaan's relatives because it might cause a scandal; he was probably Zulekha's illegitimate son and she now had a reputation to uphold as a member of a Muslim household. Alex couldn't be a part of her life in the way he deserved and Armaan probably felt sorry for him and wanted him to feel like he had family in Italy no matter what. It amazed her how quickly she was beginning to understand Armaan as a person instead of just seeing him as a spoiled, rich playboy.
Jasmine showered and changed in record time, choosing jeans and a jade green tunic. Then she smiled to herself and made her way to Zoya's room. It was dark inside so she felt around for a switch, found one and turned on the lights.
Someone gasped and scrambled to sit up. "Who is it?" Zoya called out from behind the lace curtains that surrounded her as she sat up in bed.
Jasmine grinned. Just hearing her friend's voice filled her heart with affection. Oh, Zoya. She stepped further into the room and her voice was full of cheerfulness when she spoke. "Asalaamwalaikum."
Zoya was frozen with shock as she peered at Jasmine through the curtains. Then she moved to climb out of bed, still staring at Jasmine with an open mouth. They looked at each other for some time, tears filling up their eyes.
Then Zoya was propelled into motion. "Oh, Jasmine," she cried out and flung her arms around the other girl's neck. "Jasmine."
She started crying and Jasmine almost cried as well. She had not expected such an emotional reunion. It seemed that she had missed Zoya more than she had realized. They stayed like that for a while, hugging each other and sniffling a little.
"Walaikumasalaam. Oh, Jas. Armaan told me you weren't coming so I wasn't expecting this at all. Where've you been all this time?" Zoya pushed aside the curtains on her bed and made space in the rumpled sheets for her friend to sit.
Jasmine told Zoya about what she had been doing over the past year. Her friend was impressed and held her hand tightly in hers while she texted furiously with the other one.
"I'm so glad you're here, Jas. I'm just so happy. I'm finally going to marry Riz!" She squealed and Jasmine started giggling. They discussed the elopement plan in great detail, laughing like they were in high school again. Zoya had not changed a bit. She was as animated and lively as ever. "Oh, here. Talk to him. I was texting him when you came in."
She thrust the phone at the other girl who was cheerfully greeted by Rizwaan. Jasmine talked with him for a while and then handed the phone to Zoya.
"I love you, too, Riz. Mwah. Talk to you later, okay. Jas and I have so much catching up to do." Zoya hung up and waggled her brows at Jasmine. "Still as charming as ever, isn't he?"
Jasmine nodded. "I'm really happy for you, Zoy."
Her best friend made a face. "Wish Hamza could have been happy. He hates Rizwaan for some reason. I can't even bring up his name without getting this fiery glare. I know Abbu will forgive me for this stunt but I'm not sure about my brother. I'm scared but I love him! I love him, Jasmine. You know how much I love him. How can I ever marry anyone else?" She sighed and fell back on the bed with a dreamy smile. "Just five more days and he will be all mine."
Jasmine smiled at her friend, trying to ignore the thumping of her heart at the mention of Hamza. "How is your brother?" she inquired slowly, looking away so that Zoya could not see her face.
"He's fine. Boring. Buried in work kind of boring. He left the teaching job to help Abbu with the oil business."
Jasmine was finding it difficult to breathe. She got up and started pacing the room. Deep breaths were said to be calming but it did not help her. These tidbits of information were not enough. She needed to see him. She had to see him straight away. She would die if she waited another minute. God, what was happening to her?
The door opened and Armaan walked in with a smile. "Hello, ladies," he drawled.
"Armaan!" With a joyous squeal, Zoya scooted off the bed and threw herself in her brother's arms. He hugged her tightly but his eyes were on Jasmine's pale face and he frowned at her.
'What?' he mouthed and she smiled tremulously and shook her head. Zoya let go of him and smacked him on the arm.
"That's for not telling me about
